Kansas University law professor Stephen McAllister was appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to defend a federal appeals court decision.

McAllister, a former Supreme Court law clerk, was picked to defend the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court decision that denied standing to a woman who challenged Congress’ power to pass a law that made it a crime for anyone to produce or use a chemical weapon.

Prosecutors used the 1998 law against Carol Anne Bond of Landsdale, Pa. Bond had argued that the law was an unconstitutional overreach by the federal government.

Bond allegedly tried to poison her friend when Bond learned her husband was the father of the friend’s child.

The 3rd Court ruled that Bond’s constitutional challenge fell “short of the mark.”